MINNEAPOLIS & REHOVOT, Israel — (BUSINESS WIRE) — November 9, 2015 —
Stratasys
Ltd. (Nasdaq:
SSYS), the 3D printing and additive manufacturing
solutions company, today announced that it has teamed with Aurora Flight
Sciences to deliver, what is believed to be, the largest, fastest, and
most complex 3D printed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) ever produced.
Unveiled for the first time at this week’s Dubai Airshow (Stand 206),
the high-speed aircraft is built using lightweight Stratasys materials
to achieve speeds in excess of 150mph.

To realize the joint goal to design and develop an advanced 3D printed
demonstration aircraft, the final UAV – which has a 3m (9ft.) wingspan
and weighs only 15kg (33lb.) – leveraged 3D printing for 80 percent of
its design and manufacture and is built on the expertise of Aurora
Flight Sciences’ aerospace and Stratasys’ additive manufacturing.

According to Dan Campbell, Aerospace Research Engineer at Aurora Flight
Sciences, the project achieved various targets. “A primary goal for us
was to show the aerospace industry just how quickly you can go from
designing to building to flying a 3D printed jet-powered aircraft. To
the best of our knowledge, this is the largest, fastest, and most
complex 3D printed UAV ever produced.”

“This is a perfect demonstration of the unique capabilities that
additive manufacturing can bring to aerospace,” says Scott Sevcik,
Aerospace & Defense Senior Business Development Manager, Vertical
Solutions at Stratasys. “This meant using different 3D printing
materials and technologies together on one aircraft to maximize the
benefits of additive manufacturing and 3D print both lightweight and
capable structural components.”

For Aurora, Stratasys’ additive manufacturing solutions provided the
design-optimization to produce a stiff, lightweight structure without
the common restrictions of traditional manufacturing methods. This also
enabled the cost-effective development of a customized – or
mission-specific vehicle – without the cost constraints of low-volume
production.

Design and build time cut by 50 percent with Stratasys 3D printing
solutions“Stratasys 3D printing technology easily supports
rapid design iterations that led to a dramatically shortened timeline
from the initial concept to the first successful flight,” adds Campbell.
“Overall, the technology saw us cut the design and build time of the
aircraft by 50 percent.”

According to Sevcik, the project exemplifies the power of Stratasys’
flagship Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing technology.

“Aurora’s UAV is a clear evidence of FDM’s ability to build a completely
enclosed, hollow structure which, unlike other manufacturing methods,
allows large – yet less dense – objects to be produced,” he explains.

“In addition to leveraging FDM materials for all large and structural
elements, we utilized the diverse production capability of Stratasys
Direct Manufacturing to produce components better suited to other
technologies. We elected to laser sinter the nylon fuel tank, and our
thrust vectoring exhaust nozzle was 3D printed in metal to withstand the
extreme heat at the engine nozzle,” Sevcik adds.

“Because Stratasys is able to produce parts that meet the flame, smoke,
and toxicity requirements set by the FAA, ULTEM™ has become the 3D
printing material of choice for many of our aerospace customers for
final production applications,” he continues.

For Sevcik, this particular collaborative project with Aurora achieves
one of the foremost overall goals among aerospace manufacturers, as well
as those in other industries, which is the need to constantly reduce
weight.

“Whether by air, water or on land, lightweight vehicles use less fuel. This
enables companies to lower operational costs, as well as reduce
environmental impact. In addition, using only the exact material
needed for production is expected to reduce acquisition cost by
eliminating waste and reducing scrap and recycling costs,” he
concludes.

For more than 25 years, Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ:
SSYS) has been a defining
force and dominant player in 3D printing and additive manufacturing –
shaping the way things are made. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota
and Rehovot, Israel, the company empowers customers across a broad range
of vertical markets by enabling new paradigms for design and
manufacturing. The company’s solutions provide customers with unmatched
design freedom and manufacturing flexibility – reducing time-to-market
and lowering development costs, while improving designs and
communications. Stratasys subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape
and the Stratasys ecosystem includes 3D printers producing prototypes
and parts; a wide range of 3D printing materials; parts on-demand via
Stratasys Direct Manufacturing; strategic consulting and professional
services; and Thingiverse/GrabCAD communities with 5+ million free
design components, printable files. With 3,000 employees and 800 granted
or pending additive manufacturing patents, Stratasys has received more
than 30 technology and leadership awards. Visit us online at:
www.stratasys.com
or
http://blog.stratasys.com